Alan Alda makes articulate men worth listening to, even when they are too pleased with themselves. We value his wit and attentiveness, though his affability can make selfishness seem more harmless than it is.
Fi1m perspective
Alan Alda listens as though the answer might change what he says next. His articulate men can be pleased with themselves, but his attention to the other actor keeps a conversation from becoming a recital. We warmed to his Arnold Vinick in The West Wing, because his affability makes the programme's earnest talk feel welcoming. That is a considerable service to writing which sometimes congratulates itself before anyone else has had the chance.
Captain Hawkeye Pierce in M\A\S\H (1972–1983) established that witty, approachable presence, and Alda also wrote and directed episodes. He took on all three jobs for The Four Seasons (1981), playing Jack. His collaborators include director Woody Allen, and Lester, the self-absorbed television producer in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), makes useful work of the selfishness that can accompany the charm. From the 1990s onwards, supporting parts became the main business, including The Aviator (2004) and Marriage Story* (2019).
He joined The West Wing as Vinick in 2004, remaining until 2006, and the programme makes good use of an actor who can sound intelligent without becoming chilly. We recommend it strongly: the cast makes its seriousness engaging, and its humour keeps the earnestness bearable. Alda's warmth has a cost, though, here and elsewhere. An unsympathetic man can become easier to forgive than he ought to be, because the actor makes him such agreeable company.
His appearance as Don in the series The Four Seasons (2025) brings us back to relationship comedy, though affection for Alda cannot settle the question of whether it works. It is decent and uneven, with warmth in the performances and too many familiar complaints in the writing. Colman Domingo makes the holiday company worth joining, but the laughs remain intermittent. There is pleasure in spending time with these actors, provided we do not ask their charm to excuse every weakness in the script. Choose The West Wing first, unless the prospect of an earnest speech settles the matter.
Biography
Alan Alda is an American actor, director and writer. Born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo on 28 January 1936 in Manhattan, New York City, he is best known for playing Hawkeye Pierce in the television series MAS*H (1972–1983).
Alda wrote, directed and starred in the 1981 film The Four Seasons. He appears as Don and serves as a producer on the 2025 Netflix series adaptation of the same name. His other screen credits include Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), The Aviator (2004), Bridge of Spies (2015) and Marriage Story (2019). He has received multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
